The idea
Two actions, one crowded board.
Lexacade combines placing falling letter blocks with tracing words. Players need to make useful letter arrangements while leaving enough room to keep playing.
The design challenge is balancing the immediate satisfaction of finding a word with the longer-term choices involved in managing the board.
My work
From the rules to the feel.
- Game rules: shape how placing letters, finding words, and clearing space fit together.
- Challenge design: define goals around scores, word lengths, word counts, and target words.
- Progression: develop a journey that gives players a reason to try another level.
- Interface: refine menus, touch controls, and feedback so the game is easier to read and play.
AI-assisted development
I direct development with AI tools. I set the game’s direction, review the playable builds, identify problems, and guide changes to rules, interface, and feedback.
Goals & progression
Give each run a purpose.
I’m developing level goals that suit the game’s word-building loop. Examples include reaching a score, making longer words, finding a number of words, or completing a target set.
The journey connects those challenges into a sequence. Star ratings and unlocks give players additional goals beyond simply finishing a level.
Interface & game feel
Make the important things clear.
Readable play space
Give the board room on smaller screens and keep secondary controls from competing with the puzzle.
Reliable word tracing
Improve how selecting letters feels, including diagonal connections and feedback on the current selection.
Clear navigation
Help players find the journey, choose a mode, and return to a run with less friction.
Satisfying feedback
Use animation, sound, and visual effects to make placing letters and clearing words feel rewarding.
Iteration
Play it, find the friction, improve it.
I review the game as a player: can I understand the goal, select the letters I intended, and tell what happened after each action? That leads to changes in controls, screen layout, win conditions, and feedback.
The result is a playable prototype that brings together the core puzzle, a journey, and several ways to play. Further work focuses on usability, balance, and polish.